The 2013 AUA Basic Sciences Symposium, Inflammation and Fibrosis - Underlying Factors in Benign Urological Disorders, will be held at the 2013 AUA Annual Meeting in San Diego, California on Friday, May 3, 2013 from 1:00 to 5:15 p.m. The conference benefits from the synergy of new investigators and successful senior researchers in a comfortable, informal setting. The information discussed and shared during this meeting is expected to assist in translating clinical research to practical application. It is also intended to serve as a forum where young investigators have the opportunity to meet and interact with leaders in the field of pain, infection and inflammation. By learning about the potential roles of inflammation and fibrosis in urological disorders, junior investigators will be n better positions to understand the pathogenesis of these disorders and to formulate novel translational approaches. . The connections made during the meeting are expected to stimulate research collaborations and promote this exciting area of research to the next generation of investigators. The primary investigator for the meeting, Leo Giambarresi, PhD is the Director of Research at the American Urological Association (AUA). Anthony Schaeffer, MD, Chairman of Urology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Jill Macoska, PhD, Professor of Urology and a faculty member in the Programs in Cancer Biology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Michigan will serve on the Program Committee. The meeting is organized into a keynote lecture and three sessions. Leaders of the AUA and its affiliated specialty societies, including the Society for Basic Urology Research (SBUR), the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology (SUFU), the Sexual Medicine Society (SMS), the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction (SSMR), and the Society for Infection and Inflammation in Urology, will be invited to attend. Scientific and program officers from the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases and National Institute of Aging will also be invited to attend. The AUA Translational Research Symposium is scheduled for Friday morning before the Basic Science Symposium. The primary audience for that meeting will be residents and junior faculty. The synergy achieved by the collegial atmosphere built into this conference will promote the development and future success of new urologic research investigators, establishing a foundation for collaborative research efforts.